millions of stranded passengers hope for the best as european nations try to get airline traffic back on track. toyota's troubles. decision day on a hefty fine imposed by the u.s. government. and lady's night. carrie underwood makes history at the country music awards. ♪ fr. this is the cbs morning news fr. this is the cbs morning news for mop, april 19th, 2010. captioning funded by cbs good morning. this morning airline travel in and to much of europe remains up in the air. some officials believe that ash from that volcanic cloud in

iceland is subsiding, but meteorologists warn the cloud remains unpre-difficultable. millions of passengers have been stranded and pressure is growing to reopen european air space. tara mergener is in washington with the latest. good morning. >> reporter: good morning. well, both air travelers and airlines are very anxious issues for things to start moving again, but uk officials just announced that british air space will remain closed until at least tomorrow morning. most of european air space will be closed for business for at least one day. >> we really have an unprecedented situation. >> reporter: for days, this gigantic ash cloud spewing from a volcano in iceland has thrown global travel into chaos. hundreds of thousands of passengers are stranded, some forced to make airport terminals their new home. >> we don't know how long we're stuck here. >> reporter: on sunday, only 5,000 flights took place in european air space, compared with 24,000 normally.

travelers are beginning to run out of patience and that's not the only thing. >> i'm a student. i don't have that much money. so i hope i don't have to stay here for a long time. >> reporter: the airlines are just as eager to get back up and running. every day they don't fly, it's estimated the industry loses more than $200 million. hoping to prove the skies are safe again, major airlines sent test flights in to european air space sunday. ten empty plains were droneoff germany and didn't get a scratch. klm's president said it's time to fly. one of his pilots said 100% safety doesn't exist, but added there's no reason to worry about resuming flights. but meteorologists warn the conditions remain unstable and the volcano continues to spew ash. >> i just want to go back to europe. >> reporter: the giant backlog of passengers means even when things do return to normal, they may still have to wait. days or even weeks to reach

their final destination. and since this ash cloud first appeared more than 63,000 flights have been canceled. michelle, back to you. >> and we understand that cloud of ash that's causing all those problems is moving west. where is it headed? >> reporter: unfortunately, michelle, it's headed this way. probably by early afternoon up in canada. and that is of course to the uk's national weather service. unfortunately, we do not know yet if it's heading south or what affect it will have on domestic air travel. probably not good news, michelle. >> i hope everything will be okay. okay, tara, thanks. the volcanic ash cloud prevented president obama from attending funeral services for the polish president. ♪ a state funeral was held sunday for president lech kaczynski and his wife. the first couple was buried in a warsaw cathedral.

they were among 96 people killed when the jet they were traveling on crashed in russia. the space shuttle discovery is getting ready to come home. "discovery" is scheduled to land later this morning approaching the kennedy space center in a rare cross-country flight path racing in from the pacific northwest. but rain at the florida landing site could force a change of plans. er reterrell brown reports. >> reporter: "discovery" will touchdown loaded with 2.5 tons of trash and discarded equipment from the international space station. it was a mission riddled with unexpected challenges, including a faulty valve and a jammed latch. >> we have literally had blow after blow come at us and we've handled each one in short fashion. >> reporter: astronaut stephanie wilson used a robotic arm to overcome a problem with a giant storage bin after its latch stuck. >> the pay load is in the bay

for relatch. good job, ladies. >> reporter: massa plans to fix the bad valve with a future spacewalk. during this mission, three spacewalks upgrade the equipment on the outside. with or three more shuttle missionseses to go, nasa is racing depends the clock to sock it with spare parts and supplies. >> there will be a three to five year gap between the end of the shuttle flights and the beginning of new private sector launches from the united states. >> reporter: "discovery" is scheduled to make the final shuttle flight in september. after that, nasa shifts focus. it will develop a rescue capsule for space station astronauts. and president obama wants to leap in to the future with a journey to an astroid and then to mars saying he expects to be around to see it. terrell brown, cbs news, kennedy space center. troubled automaker toyota has agreed to pay a hefty fine imposed by the u.s. government. that's according to the "wall street journal." the fine, $16.4 million, is for

toyota's delay in telling the government about its defective gas pedals. toy had until today to agree to the fine or to contest it. the white house says president obama will take his case for financial reform to the people. the president plans to travel around the country over the next few weeks to press for new rules for wall street. a senate vote on reform legislation has been delayed and now expected later this month. treasury secretary timothy geithner says reform is critical to protect investors. >> you can't run a system on the expectation that firms are going to act in anyway other than what they think is hair best interests. what you have to do is to make sure that the government is setting rules with teeth that prevent them from taking risks that could impirl the economy as a whole. >> republican critics say the bill creates more problems than it solves. this morning, a standoff between anti-government protester mis-thailand and the army. government troops are stationed

in bangkok's business district. the area has been declared off-limits to protesters. the red shirted demonstrators are camping nearby and have called for a mass rally tomorrow, but may launch their proceedest today. on the cbs "moneywatch," stocks in asia slid this morning. and emily smith is here in morning with that and more. emily, good morning. >> reporter: good morning. some major profit taking in asian markets this morning. the nikkei last more than 1.5%. today wall street gets earnings reports from ibm and citigroup. friday bank stocks pulled the market lower when the dow lost almost 126 points. the nasdaq was down 34. >> the investigation in to the collapse of countrywide financial appears to be cunning steam. the wall street journal reports that several federal probes are underway into the company's role in the financial meltdown. for a time countrywide was the nation's largest mortgage lender. by 2008, the housing crisis had taken its toll on the company and it was purchased by bank of america. goldman sachs is promising to fight fraud charges.

wall street was rocked friday when the sec hit the bank with allegations it had intentionally misled investors with the sale of some of it mortgage investments just as the housing market was beginning to collapse. goldman stock dropped 13% following the charges. the airlines have finally met a fee they don't like. american, delta, united, us airways and jet blue have all pledged not to charge passengers for carry-on bags spp spirit airlines recently announced plans to charge up to to $45 to put a bag this overhead bin. and a major upset at the weekend box office. "how to train your dragon" just edged the super hero action comedy in a contest almost too cho to call. both films took in about $20 million. the 3d animated adventure was a disappointment, though, when it opened a month ago, but has made a comeback as of late. >> did you ever think you'd be saying those words on air, kick

ass? items he a movie title, so he so -- emily smith, hangs. >> just ahead, 3ub trust of the government falls near a historic low. plus, a high note for lady antebellum as they dominate the country music awards. but first, katie couric has a preview of the "cbs evening news." >> we all want our children to do well in school, but what about in life? we'll tell you how a marshmallow test could predict their chances of success. this week, only on the "cbs evening news." 100% fruit & veggie juice with no added sugar. just one glass equals two servings of fruits and vegetables. with tasty flavors like cranberry, strawberry, banana, it's like a farm stand in every bottle. the fruits you love mixed with the veggies you need. just, you know... demonstrating how we, uh, mix the fruits and the vegetables. ocean spray. grower owned since 1930.

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federal building. america's trust in their government is near a historic low. the survey by the pew research center finds that almost 80% of respondents say they can't trust washington most of the time. only 22% say they feel that they can trust the federal government. a majority of respondents say the government is too big and too powerful. some of the biggest names in country music were in las vegas last night for the academy of country music awards ceremony. and some of the hottest new stars were also there to be honored. sandra hughes reports. ♪ >> reporter: newcomers and young guns set the stage smoking at the 45th annual academy of country music awards. atlanta antebellum swept the night winning five awards including song of the year, single record of year, and top vocal group. "need you now" has crossed music jen are as and the group was nom

mated for more awards than anybody else this go-around. >> this moment is not lost in our eyes. we're living our dream right now. >> reporter: miranda lambert's only 27 years old and sunday snagged her second win for album of the year. she also won for top female vocal list. >> you've got to be kidding me. >> reporter: and former american idol winner carrie underwood oig made history becoming the first woman to twice win entertainer of the year. >> god bless you so much! thank you, country music! >> reporter: reba maccen tire hosted the evening that seemed less about the awards and more bts music. ♪ >> reporter: one after another after another, performers took to the stage sink building heartbreaks and soul mates. for most of the year, a majority of country musicians are either on the road or in nashville. so they say having the show here in las vegas is a real treat. >> we travel separately, we all tour separately, get to hang out

as much as you like and these are place we can actually get to see each other. >> reporter: and celebrate country music in a way only country's greatest can. sandra hughes, cbs news, las vegas. straight ahead, your monday morning weather. and in sports, layoff action gets off to a fast start in the nba. for all active families. our advanced 2-in-1 power cleans tough stains like grass better than the leading oxi detergent and helps get your family's wash incredibly white and bright. try new all oxi-active. it's all good. has a whole new look. presenting benefiber orange -- the natural, orange-flavored fiber that dissolves completely, so there's no grit. that's the beauty of benefiber. [ man ] orange. [ coughs ] [ laughs ] ♪ [ sneezes ]

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thunderstorms at 79. chicago, 57. denver, sunny at 75. los angeles partly cloudy and 64. time now for a check on the national forecast. the latest satellite picture shows clouds scattered over the southeast. and it's a nice morning around the great lakes and northern plains. later today, scattered showers will be moving in to the northwest. strong thunderstorms will be developing across the southeast. the northeast will be dry and pleasant and some strong storms are likely around the southwest. in sports, the defending nba champs opened their first playoff series with a win. the lakers' company by bryant had 21 points as los angeles dominated oklahoma city and the lakers beat the thunder 87-79. in orlando, the magic started off with a big lead, but then almost blew a 22 point advantage against the bobcats. orlando held on for a 98-89 win in game one over charlotte.

the mavericks' dirk novitsky opened the playoff series against the spurs with 36 point and dallas beats san antonio 100-94. portland's andre miller ported 31 point in the their playoff opener against phoenix and the trailblazers pulled off an upset of the suns 105-100. in baseball, after a very slow start, the yankees' mark teixeria finally hit his first home run of the season off texas. new york swemt the three game series with a 5-2 win over the rangers. and the do you thinkers' man manny ramirez hit a pinch hit home run to beat the guy answers 2-1, it was career home run 548 for manny tying him with mike schmidt for 14th place on the all-time list. when we return, we'll take another look at this morning's top stories. and he turned congress upside down when he won the massachusetts senate seat. a report card on scott brown three months later.

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on the "cbs morning news," here's a look at today's weather. strong thunderstorms will be developing across the southeast. it will be dry and pleasant in the northeast and northern plains. and scattered showers will be in the northwest. here's another look at this morning's top stories. european officials hope that half the normally scheduled flights will be able to fly today, but the ash cloud from an icelandic volcano remains unpredictab unpredictable. millions have been stranded about. and the shuttle "discovery" is scheduled to land at the kennedy space somewhere later this morning, but rain in florida may postpone "discovery's" concern. it was three months ago go today that scott brown won a special election to finish out the term of senator ted kennedy. and since he took office, brown has not been the staunch conservative some thought.

tony guida reports. >> reporter: >> it's not ted ken didity's seat, it's the people's seat, it's your seat. >> reporter: just who is scott brown? >> he is not an ideal log. he's somebody who wants to be viewed as a centrist. >> reporter: that was not the prevailing view when brown was elected three months ago. his rifle in the senate many said would sound the death nell for health care reform. he, they said, would march lock step with the tea party. it hasn't worked out that way. >> i look at each bill it an independent manner and vote accordingly. >> reporter: brown was a notable no show at last week's huge tea party rally in boston, the faithful hoping for a loving between sarah palin and brown were disappointed. on cbs' "face the nation" sunday, brown carefully side-stepped a central tea party charge about president obama. >> is he pushing the country towards socialism? >> i don't think he's making proper choices when it comes to dealing with the free market. >> reporter: massachusetts

republicans have been nothing short of delirious with their new senator, halves evident at the state convention saturday. "boston globe" editorial page peetser canellos was there. >> it's clear that he's not going to be the standard bearer for the conservative movement going forward. >> no are from massachusetts. >> reporter: nor is brown a 100% reliable vote for the gop. last week he broke with the party by voting to extend unemployment benefits. >> he comes from a state that's not a traditionally republican state, so he can't always tow the party line. >> reporter: brown does oppose president obama's financial reform bill, but says he will work with both sides to get a better bill enacted. >> we want banks to be bank, we don't want them to be casinos. >> reporter: it was independent voters who put scott brown where he is today. and he intends to stay there. >> scott brown will continue to be a fascinating figure in american politics. >> reporter: as the newest start in the republican firm ament, brown has many demands to share

his sbreb at this time pi p look for him to be just about everywhere on the campaign trail this fall with gop candidates for congress. tony guida, cbs news, new york. i'm michelle gielan, this is the "cbs morning news." is way o. i just can't wait to see all those crunchy flakes in action. i hope i get a chance to put two scoops!™ of raisins in some boxes. you know what will really get us in the spirit? ♪ 99 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ ♪ if you're nice to me i'llhare some with you ♪ ♪ you take one down ( and pass it around ) ♪ ♪ 98 boxes of raisin bran crunch ♪ three tasty ingredients, one great combination. ♪ raisin bran crunch! from kellogg! ♪ [ male announcer ] you can get a lot of water where you least expect it. like in here. this detergent has this much cleaning ingredients. the rest is water. but with tide, you get more cleaning ingredients -- more than twice as much. ♪ so that you get an outstanding tide clean.

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love. it's what makes a subaru, a subaru. good morning. i'm andrea roane. here's some stories we are following for you today. a frostburg state university student is accused of shooting two classmates killing one of them. police say tyrone hall shot and killed a 21-year-old from

waldorf, maryland. another student was also injured. the shooting stemmed from a disagreement at a party. they are hoping to return air traffic to half of the normal level today. millions of passengers have been stranded for days because of an ash cloud in iceland. they tested flights on sunday and found no damage. toyota is expected to agree to a fine of $15 million. the government alleges the automaker violated the law when it knowingly delayed a january recall over defective gas pedals in its vehicles. toyota has until today to assess or contest the record fine. we say good morning to howard bernstein after a cold weekend. >> we have a chilly morning. frost and freeze warnings to the west and southwest but slightly milder temperatures are coming as the week

progresses. show you what is happening. a storm in the northeast. a chill in the winds on friday and saturday. yesterday was kind of a breezy day but clear skies overnight and system areas seeing the winds die off. mid-30s in manassas, virginia. lower 40s in many areas. even taphannock they are 36 in the northern neck. highs today 65. average is up to 67, 68. cool to start. grab a jacket. >> grab it. i feel like that's how it has been all weekend. >> it was. >> it is april. i had frost on my windshield yesterday morning. we have construction going on this morning. maryland ramp 201 to the outer loop. right now it is closed trying to access that beltway. we will keep you posted and let you know when it opens up.

they are in the clearing stages. and inner loop between 66 and little river not able to access that little river ramp. it will be closed until 5:00 a.m. more on this coming up. a dozen high school students in our region will soon help to teach their peers. they have been selected from 100 young people who competed in an essay test. it is a secret young people want to share. >> i shine as i know how to stand up for what is right. >> a story about autism. >> the number of those in need. >> an examination of the illegal organ trade, examples of a dozen profound essays. >> for years the united states has had the opportunity and moral obligation to practice injustice. >> reporter: all winners. >> 325 students submitted their writing in the contest. tonight we celebrate those that made the cut. >> reporter: it is the

competition orchestrated through one world education. the founder says as a dc public schoolteacher he saw an untapped learning opportunity where students can learn from other students have that's an important message because the best way to learn is through your peers. sometimes when you hear it from your mom it is like, oh -- but someone closer to your age you listen. malcolm barry's piece will compliment health studies. >> mine is about hiv aids rates. >> he draws on his experience that when he traveled as a boy. >> instead of measuring gdp they measure happiness.